No Juice for You!

It's been a challenge here in the PNW, first with a cold front dumping 20" of the white, fluffy stuff on us - we were without power for 129 hours before it was restored. Just as I got the fridge emptied into the garbage can, and SOME of our clothes washed, a rain-and-windstorm came along and plunged us into darkness again.

So today, I was hap-hap-happy when I saw a power truck heading down our driveway. Crews were out checking poles and lines before turning the power back on...AGAIN. I ran out to greet the guys and find out whatever I could. I also told them how VERY much we appreciated all the hard work they had been doing to get the power on to tens of thousands of us. One guy asked me "So what time yesterday did you lose your power again?" I told him around 3:00 p.m. He said "Yes well we noticed that you were not using your power wisely after we turned it back on yesterday, so we took it away from you and gave it to others who really needed it."  I said "Ahhhh...it was the Facebook, wasn't it?"  He nodded and said "Yep, and we are going to turn it back on real soon but we'll be watching, and if you don't do better, we'll just have to turn it off again."

Of course, I was standing on the porch, giggling...and amazed that they could possibly still have a sense of humor after the freezing cold, wind, rain, and lack of sleep they have been enduring to make sure we got power back as quickly as possible. A smile and a wave and they were off...sure enough, 20 minutes later, There Was Light! I have to admit, I was back on Facebook in only 10 minutes, tempting fate...

Weather and Other Stuff

Phew! We have been hit with an epic snowstorm! Some places near me have two feet of the fluffy white stuff...I went out a few hours ago and measured 15" but it's snowed heavily since then so I have no idea what's out there now. Here's a shot from the front porch. The Jeep in the background made it into town at 6:30 this morning, but didn't manage to lose all the snow on the roof during the drive. My car in the foreground hasn't moved for days and is almost completely buried.

The puppies still wanna go jump around in it, although Ben had to shovel a path for Diesel because he's short and old. Watch out for the "yellow snow" not only because of the dogs, but because Ben has been fixated on writing words in the snow...like "Ben," "Jeep," and I don't know what else. Men! Boys! They got that equipment and they just wanna use it!

UPDATE: It's now at 20" - took the good ole' Omnigrid out on the deck...

Wow! That's 20 inches now! Yikes!

The angle makes it look only 19 1/2" but it really IS a full 20"!

Meanwhile, Adam had to get the back-blade on the tractor last night to plow the LLH (last long hill) on Apron Valley Road so he could get Katie's car towed home. And the snow snapped some poles on the Hippie Chicks enclosure, but they are safe and warm inside the van.

Adam came down to the house this morning and dug his knee-high rubber boots out of the closet. He hadn't worn them for YEARS, and he found rice in one boot, and gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins in the other boot!  Adam said "Maybe they went to a mouse wedding..." WTF? So, like, I provided all the food...and they didn't even invite me to the wedding, LOL! I can see the rice, but where did those  mice get the coins? I usually keep some in the freezer...maybe they swiped them when they were in there getting ice for their Mousetinis? ;-)

Miss Piggy was quite interested in the "booty"

And here's what One Eye, the cat, thinks about the whole mess...


Pffftttttt! Just give me some more catnip...

In the  meantime, I made YET ANOTHER of those Scrappy Daisies table runners! I really need to start some other projects!

Front

Back

I really AM working on some other things and will post those soon. Hopefully, we won't lose power (crossing fingers and toes here!).

Block & Roll

It seems, with the New Year, I wanna be a "joiner." Not just in swaps - and I've already signed up for one of those. But also for sew-alongs and BOMs. Although, I am NOT going to bee signing up for bees, LOL! Well, at least not yet ;-)

I found the Craftsy Block of the Month, bookmarked it, pondered, lurked, and pondered some more. Then a friend on Facebook put herself out there and asked if anyone else was going to participate. That's all it took. I signed up and committed myself (not to be confused with commitING myself, which may be NEXT!).

So I dove right in and last night I whipped up the first two blocks - Asterisk and Wonky Pound Sign. I sat through the video even though it was a bit slow for me, but yet, I learned a few things, so I'm glad I did! I had a FQ bundle handy, so I chose 3 FQs. They used Kona Snow for all the background - about 2 yards, they said. I didn't have 2 yards of Kona anything handy, but there were 2 FQs of white-on-white in the FQ bundle, so rather than wait, I used one of those. I'm going to have to fill in with other background fabrics as I go, but that may just make it more interesting. As least that's what I'm telling myself.

Here are the first two blocks. Of course that's Asterisk on the left and Wonky Pound Sign on the right. My Wonky is not quite as wonky as it should be but I'm happy with it.

Then I noticed there was a video for February. Oh goodee! I was really in the mood and thought well, I could just whip that one out too and I'd be ahead of the game! No matter that the video was only 19 seconds long - that should have been my first clue. I tried to ignore that and clicked on Play. Here's what I got:

Har Dee Har Har, I say...well, Crafsy, ya got me, and I deserved that. Tail between my legs, I'll slink away and wait til February. At least they LOVE me :-) It's nice to be LOVED :-)

Now that the two January blocks were done...oh and let me explain that, well I'm guessing anyways...two in January and then one each the rest of the year through November, leaving December Ok I sat through the first few minutes again and it's TWO BLOCKS per month for a total of 20 and then sashing, binding, quilting, etc. So now, I "know" me...and I "know" I'd be lucky to remember the first of each month to go find the block, let alone remember where I stashed the previous blocks! One might be on my cutting table...and another in that tub-o-fabric in the dining room...another mixed in with the new shipment I got from Burgundy Buttons or Fat Quarter Shop. So I pondered how can I make sure I wind up with a pile of blocks come December....hmmm....so I decided to make a "block roll." I had eyed another block I wanted to make, so I grabbed a few chunks of fabric and went for it. I made a 12" block, then added some frames and scraps to it to measure about 15" x 18" - making it a couple inches wider, and several inches longer than the 12 1/2" Craftsy blocks. I added a layer of cotton batting and backed it with flannel, then added ties to one end.

The idea is to stack the blocks as they are finished in the roll...

roll it up...

and tie closed.

Until the next month. I'm being patient. Really I am. Ok, maybe not so patient. But apparently I have no choice because Craftsy SAYS I have no choice :-)  So now don't YOU want to join in the Craftsy BOM?

Swaps, Gifts, and Wraps

I got a little behind (not to be confused with having a small rear end!) on posting a lot of my Christmas activities. First up: swaps. I was in a couple of swaps and posted some of the things I made in the previous post, but here are the lovely packages I received in turn! I somehow got signed up twice in Aunt Pitty Pat's stocking swap (I think the fact that she can talk me into almost anything played a factor...). Here's what I got from the fabulous Regena:

I love this linen stocking with the fussy-cut patches from Sweetwater's Countdown to Christmas by Moda Fabrics. This line is one of my favorites and I used it in a table runner I made for another swap. And look at that Mug Rug! It's shaped like a tag! I love that idea and WILL be stealing it in the future :-) Thanks so much, Regena!

I love how she used the Moda twill tape for the stocking hanger. And among all the goodies she sent, she included some baker's twine - of course, it's all the rage but I didn't have any, so now I do! Wheeeee!

And my sweet Canadian partner, Eleanor, sent me these wonderful things!

I love this stocking with the wide bias tape and what a good job Eleanor did applying all the tape! Among the goodies is a cookbook that has lots of Scandanavian recipes (I'm norwegian) including some of my favorites like Swedish Pancakes, although I make mine a bit different, and my brother's favorite, Lefse. She also included a sweet snowman pin - I collect Christmas pins! I had to laugh when I opened her little sack of personal care items - there was a tube of lip balm, and I had just read an article about people who are, apparently, ADDICTED to lip balm! They actually call it "Chapstick Addiction!" I hope I don't succomb....LOL!

And look at the gorgeous card she made just for me! Soooo pretty and sparkley! I'm going to put this with all my rubberstamping supplies so I can steal the idea next year ;-) Thanks, Eleanor!





Next, I made five Scrappy Daisies quilted table runners (from Gudrun Erla's fabulous book Table Talk) for a group of friends I call my "Lunch Buddies" - we meet every Wednesday for lunch at The Mason Jar in Tumwater. Don't know where I'd be without my Lunch Buddies :-) so I decided I wanted to surprise them with these fun gifts. Ok, maybe the REAL reason is that after making one for a swap, I simply couldn't stop making them! They are soooo fun, fast, and fabulous! Here they are:

Traditional reds/greens/golds

I love these golds and blacks

Reds/greens/creams

These blues and silvers were my fave

I like how the solids made this one pop



Rolled and Ribboned and Ready to Gift!

Shirley was very happy with her table runner! And she just HAD to "get back at me" the following week by stealing my lunch bill and paying it herself :-)

After all the swaps were sent, and the table runners finished, it was time to "wrap" the gifts for my family. The girls always get pretty wrappings and Autumn saves hers to use to wrap gifts for her sisters and mom the following year BUT she makes them give the wraps back so she can reuse them again! This year, her sister, Stephanie, didn't even have to be told - she just handed the fabric bags back after unwrapping the gifts. Here's how I wrapped some gifts for Autumn:


I made a 60" scarf from a Jelly Roll of Flurry and backed it with Sew Comfy and tied it around a pacakge. I added a pin made of felt flowers for a festive look.





 

And here's a bag I made to match, along with a small pouch that contained jewelry.

I made a yarn angel to top one package. I plan on doing a tutorial next week for these, using Valentine's Day fabrics.

I liked this snowman fabric - I think it made cute bags to hold some Bath & Body Works goodies for the girls.

 All in all, it was a very good Christmas! Now to start all over again and NOT wait until the last minute! (Famous last words...)


Blocks and Stockings

I've been up to some mischief  :-) I won't say who gets what, but these are some Christmas quilt blocks and stocking packages I've been working on. Happy to say they have either already gone out the door or will be today or Monday! Then I can work on "wrapping" my family's and friends' gifts! Oh...and FINISH my shopping!

I just wish I could keep THESE and make a quilt for myself...but I'm sure I'll be getting some lovely blocks back from Aunt Pitty Pat's Christmas Block Swap.



It took a lot of looking before I found this cardinal fabric that was perfect for an applique to spruce up the Log Cabin block.

Some stockings I made, and each has its own special Christmas Gift Receipt bag - just tuck it in your purse or bag and it's THE place for all your Christmas shopping receipts so that if something needs to be exchanged or returned after Christmas, you'll know EXACTLY where to find that pesky receipt!



 Of course, there are LOTS of goodies that will go into each stocking!

Groovy Gravy

My son, Adam's, girlfriend (Katie) is a vegetarian...and he's had other vegetarian girlfriends, so I'm used to this. Actually, I am quite excited because I LOVE making vegetarian meals! My other guys are definitely carnivores and think that MEAT HAS TO BE part of every meal. But I do love the occasional meatless fare. I would eat 2-3 meatless meals a week if I were truly in charge. But I'm not. So I have to content  myself with sharing meatless meals with Katie. Now, Katie doesn't ask for Tofurkey for Thanksgiving - thank goodness - because I'm not quite sure how I would do that. So I make extra veggies, I use vegetable broth in the dressing (but don't tell the others!), and I do make her some vegetarian gravy to pour over the mashed potatoes.

How do you make vegetarian gravy? Well, it's easy-peasy!

While I definitely make gravy from the turkey drippings, for the carnivores, I've kinda made up this recipe for NON-TURKEY gravy over the past few years...and I think it's delicious! Here's what I do!

Vegetarian Gravy

1/2 cup finely diced onions
1/2 cup finely diced mushrooms (I usually use the white button, but you can experiment)
2-3 Tablespoons butter
2 cups (or 1 can) vegetable broth
1 cube vegetarian boullion (available at any grocery store!)
1/2 Teaspoon onion powder
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 Teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Approximately 3 Tablespoons lightly-browned flour *



* First, make the browned flour: put 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour into a small heavy skillet on medium-low heat. Stir constantly. Note - no oil, butter or anything - this is a DRY skillet. You will find it starts to turn after several minutes. You want a nice LIGHT caramel color - if you get past light caramel, it will turn bitter so err on the side of too light. It will continue to brown after you turn the burner off. Set aside.



In a medium skillet, melt the butter and add the onions and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are opaque. Add the browned flour, stirring constantly. SLOWLY add the vegetable broth, a little at a time, until each addition is incorporated. Add the vegetarian boullion, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Continue to stir about 5 minutes until the gravy is nice and thick.

This gravy is delicious whether you are a vegetarian or not. Give it a try!



Crockpot Thanksgiving Dressing

Want a fuss-free Thanksgiving Dressing recipe? This makes a moist, fluffy dressing that is neither baked in the turkey nor in a casserole in the oven. Using a crockpot means freeing up precious oven space as well as not having to scoop dressing out of the turkey after dinner (and is also safer than putting the dressing in the turkey). This recipe was in the little booklet that came with my Rival 5-qt. crockpot many years ago. Since trying it, it's the only dressing I've made ever since - my family won't let me try anything else on the theory that if the dressing ain't broke, don't mess with the dressing :-)

I wish I had a photo for you - I'll try to remember to take some pics this year and add them later.

This recipe fits in either a 3-4 qt. or 5 qt. crockpot - I always use the 5 qt. If I make it for a "regular" family dinner, I use the amounts listed below; if I make it for Thanksgiving or a potluck, or want leftovers, I double the recipe HOWEVER I use the same amount of butter and broth (not double it).

I do have one caveat: I've given this recipe to many people, particularly where I used to work. They all loved my dressing and recognized that "the green crockpot" at our work Thanksgiving potluck was THE dressing to aim for, and get in line early! But most of the people I gave the recipe to have not been able to successfully replicate it. I think I've troubleshooted most of their problems and included them in the recipe.

Crockpot Dressing

Double this recipe to completely fill a 5 qt. crockpot, but note the instructions for the butter and broth.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margaine (but really...butter....I don't even have margarine in my house! IF YOU DOUBLE THE RECIPE, DO NOT DOUBLE THE BUTTER - use just 1 cup)
2 cups chopped celery (about 1/4" dice)
2 cups chopped onion (about 1/4" dice)
1/4 cup chopped parsley (I have used dried in a pinch, but fresh is best)
2 4-ounce cans sliced mushrooms, drained (I wasn't sure I would like this the first time, but it's delicious!)
12-13 cups bread cubes (I use a combination of breads depending on what I have on hand. Cheap bread is ok, but I always use a combination of white and wheat. Stack 2-3 slices and cut with a serrated bread knife OR use an electric knife. Try not to squish/crush the bread. DO NOT USE BAGGED, DRIED BREAD CUBES! And do not dry the bread first, although "old" bread can be used as long as it's not all dried out)
1 slightly heaping teaspoon pountry seasoning
1/2 level teaspoon each salt and pepper (If I double the recipe, I use 1 teaspoon pepper but only about 3/4 teaspoon salt)
1 1/2 slightly heaping teaspoons dried sage
1  teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 slightly heaping teaspoon dried marjoram
2 eggs, beaten
About 2 cups chicken or turkey broth (IF YOU DOUBLE THE RECIPE, DO NOT DOUBLE THE BROTH)

Note: if you want to get some of the preparation out of the way ahead of time, you can cube the bread and store in a plastic bag, and chop the onion and celery and store in the fridge.

Melt butter in skillet and saute onion, celery, and parsley until onions are opaque. Add the mushrooms and seasonings and stir well. Put the bread cubes in a very large bowl. Pour the sauteed mixture over the bread cubes. Pour the beaten eggs over. Add about 1 cup broth. Stir GENTLY - sliding a large spoon or rubber scraper down the sides of the bowl and lifting (folding) the ingredients just until mixed. Add more broth if it seems dry. Carefully turn the mixture into the crockpot and sprinkle any remaining broth over the top - DO NOT PACK DOWN - DO NOT STIR. Cover and cook on High for 45 minutes; then turn to Low and cook 4-6 hours. The dressing will rise up (the eggs act as a leavening agent). DO NOT STIR while it's cooking! If you go the full 6 hours, it may develop a crust on the sides, but some people like the crusty part.

I think the problems people I've given the recipe to have had are mostly because they tried to shortcut by using bagged, dried bread (even though I told them NOT to!), they mixed it too much, and/or they stirred it while it cooked. Made according to my instructions, this dressing is beautiful - you can identify all the separate ingredients (in other words, it's not just a brown mush). And it's fluffy, moist, and yummy!

I've also made this dressing for roast beef dinners by using beef broth and changing up the seasonings a bit to better go with beef. Happy Thanksgiving!